Carolinas Roundup | REI opens new store at Northlake on Friday

Outdoor outfitter REI will hold grand opening festivities later this month for its second local store, at Northlake Mall in Charlotte.

The 26,000-square-foot store at West W.T. Harris Boulevard and Northlake Centre Parkway will open at 10 a.m. Friday with events – including gift card and water bottle giveaways, complimentary breakfast, prizes and athlete appearances – continuing through the weekend.

REI, which stands for Recreational Equipment Inc., opened its first Charlotte-area store two years ago at Carolina Place mall in Pineville. The Seattle-based retailer, a cooperative with 18,400 active members locally, also has three stores in the Raleigh area and is opening a sixth N.C. store in Asheville in October.

The Charlotte Regional Partnership on Friday named a Cabarrus County business recruiter as the organization's vice president of investor relations.

Clay Andrews will work with current private investors and recruit new ones for the partnership, a public-private group that works to attract companies to the Charlotte region. He has been with the Cabarrus Economic Development Corp. since 2005 and will join the partnership Oct. 1.

In Cabarrus, Andrews helped recruit the $40 million Wind Shear wind tunnel and created the first public-private group dedicated to creating business park sites. Previously, he was executive director of the Rock Hill Economic Development Corp.

Jefferson George

Free seminar for job seekers offered

Williams, Roberts, Young Inc., a talent-management company with offices in Charlotte, is offering a free seminar for job seekers called “7 Tips for Getting a Great Job in Today's Market.” The seminar will be Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree hotel, 6300 Morrison Blvd., behind SouthPark mall. Attendees should RSVP by e-mailing ashley@wry.com

Christina Rexrode

Flights to Houston canceled over Ike

Both airlines that provide nonstop service from Charlotte to Houston canceled all flights Friday afternoon and evening, as well as today.

US Airways and Continental Airlines, which have multiple daily flights to Houston, canceled them as Hurricane Ike approached Texas. Continental canceled five of its seven scheduled flights Friday and all four of today's flights. US Airways canceled four of its five Houston flights Friday and all four of today's flights.

Travelers with tickets on flights canceled because of Hurricane Ike should be able to rebook on other flights without paying the normal fees. Check your airline's Web site or call customer service for details.

Jefferson George

Never miss a local story.

Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access.